Cassie {High School Senior}

August 20, 2016

Cassie’s story is one for the books. A little over a year ago she was in a horrible house fire with her family. She was the only one flown to UVA and stayed there for a while to completely recover. I am so thankful I didn’t know Cassie yet. Honestly, I am not sure how I would have handled knowing one of my students was in so much pain and recovering from such a horrible accident.

This girl, right here pulls at my heartstrings. She is a student of mine, but her story is far more important than my love for knowing and being a small part of her life. I had heard of a family in town that was in an awful house fire but I never knew what this girl would bring to my life.

First day meeting Cassie I knew there was something so special about her. Most people know her as the girl who survived. The girl who went through something unimaginable. The girl who made it out! I know her as the girl who has made my life better by being a part of hers. She told me about the fire on day 2 in my classroom. It had only happened a few months prior to her stepping foot in my room. I immediately noticed her scars and she opened up to me immediately. It was like she knew I would be a part of her life from that moment forward.

If you look closely, you will see her scars… one from her traque and the others from burns. The amazing part is, that this situation doesn’t define her, it has only made her a more confident and beautiful human being. I am the lucky one to know and teach her. Most people also feel this way knowing Cassie. She lights up a room. She has only become a better person because of the experience she has been through. I cannot wait to see all she does in this life of hers. Nothing will stand in her way, this I know for sure.